Porto Wine Cellar ToursPoças Port Cellar Tour: Guided Visit and Tasting of 3 Ports
The Poças port cellar tour takes you through the ageing cellar of a fourth-generation Portuguese port house and ends with a tasting of three ports: a White, a Late Bottled Vintage and a Reserve Tawny. It lasts 1.5 hours, costs $26.31 per person and takes up to 20 guests, which puts it among the cheaper guided visits in Vila Nova de Gaia. The house sits at Rua Visconde das Devesas 168 and describes the visit as a look at a real day-to-day cellar routine. This page sets out what the ticket covers, what the day is like and who should book a different port wine cellar tours in Porto instead.
About This Tour
Poças is one of the few port companies born Portuguese that still belongs to the same Portuguese family, now in its fourth generation. The guided visit walks through the ageing cellar, where wines have rested for more than a century, and explains what makes port special and where it comes from: the Douro Valley.
The visit ends in the Tasting Room with three ports poured alongside guidance on what pairs well with them. The ticket covers the guided cellar visit and the three tastings only. Sausage and cheese selections are excluded and must be arranged with the cellar directly by phone.
$26.31 per person, booked on Viator (product code 141590P1)
1.5 hours in total (90 minutes)
Poças, Rua Visconde das Devesas 168, 4400-337 Vila Nova de Gaia
Up to 20 guests with a live guide, one language per departure (English, Italian, Portuguese or French)
One cellar, the ageing cellar at Poças, and 3 ports poured: White, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and Reserve Tawny
No food of any kind, no hotel pickup, sausage and cheese selections paid separately by phoning the cellar. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund
Check Dates and Availability
Departure times and language slots for the Poças port cellar tour are shown on the booking calendar, since none are stated in the listing. Check the date you want before planning the rest of your day in Gaia.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Poças tour in short
The Poças port cellar tour costs $26.31 per person, lasts 1.5 hours and covers a guided visit of the ageing cellar plus a tasting of three ports: White, LBV and Reserve Tawny. Groups run up to 20 guests and the meeting point is Rua Visconde das Devesas 168 in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Key takeaways
- The ticket includes the guided cellar visit and 3 ports, but no food: see exactly what the price covers.
- Plan the route with getting there and adding a second cellar.
- No food is included and three ports land on an empty stomach. Travellers who want several houses should look at the Three Port Houses Walking Tour instead.
- Comparing all the options? Browse the full list of Porto wine cellar tours.
What the Price Actually Covers
The listing is clear about what sits inside the $26.31 and what does not. Here is the breakdown, line by line, taken from the operator's own inclusion and exclusion list on Viator.
Included and Excluded, Line by Line
Four things are included: the guided visit through the ageing cellar and the three tasting pours of White, LBV and Reserve Tawny. The exclusions are short but they matter. There is no food of any kind on this ticket, and the sausage and cheese selections the cellar offers are sold separately, arranged by phoning Poças directly at (+351) 22 320 3257. The listing prints no price for those snacks, so budget for them as an unknown.
There is also no hotel pickup, and no return point is stated. If you want a tasting with food already paired, the Burmester Cellar Tour sells chocolate, cheese or almond cookie pairing options, and the Cockburn's Port Lodge Tour offers a cheese pairing option. Check the language when you book: each departure runs in one language only, chosen from English, Italian, Portuguese or French.
Infants 0-3, children 4-10, youths 11-17 and adults 18-99 are priced separately, so check the age band when you book.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guided visit of the ageing cellar | Yes | Live guide, one language per departure |
| White Port tasting | Yes | One of the three pours |
| Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) tasting | Yes | One of the three pours |
| Reserve Tawny tasting | Yes | One of the three pours |
| Sausage and cheese selections | No | Excluded, bought separately by phoning the cellar |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | No | Make your own way to Rua Visconde das Devesas 168 |
| Extra drinks or food | No | Not listed in the ticket |
Sources: IVDP, Port wine categories, Gaia Cable Car prices and timetable
The reception desk of the Poças port wine lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Photo: dlovins99, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing describes a single 90-minute experience with two phases. No clock times are stated for the start or the end, so the departure time comes from the calendar when you book.
Arrival and the Cellar Walk
You make your own way to Poças at Rua Visconde das Devesas 168, 4400-337 Vila Nova de Gaia. Public transport stops are nearby, per the listing, but no specific stop is named.
The experience starts with a guided visit to the ageing cellar, where the wines have been aging for more than 100 years. The guide explains what makes Port Wine special and where it is made: the Douro Valley. You walk on foot inside the cellar and the whole visit suits all fitness levels. All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible, and prams and strollers are allowed.
- Whole visit: 90 minutes in one cellar, on foot
- Group: up to 20 guests
- Guide: live, in the language of the departure you booked
The Tasting Room and the Finish
After the cellar walk you move into the Tasting Room for a harmonized tasting of three different Port Wines: a White, a Late Bottled Vintage and a Reserve Tawny. The guide covers what pairs well with Port and points out styles you may not have tasted before.
The tour ends at the cellar. No return point or return time is stated, so plan your next move from Rua Visconde das Devesas yourself. The house welcomes about 28,000 visitors a year and its Visitor Center holds the Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence, so expect a professionally run operation rather than an improvised one.
- Poured: White, LBV, Reserve Tawny
- End point: Poças cellar, no return transfer
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is a single-cellar visit with no food, a group of up to 20 and no hotel pickup. Several kinds of traveller should book something else, and each case has a fix.
No Food and Three Ports on an Empty Stomach
Nothing to eat is included, and the sausage and cheese selections are excluded from the ticket and bought separately by phoning the cellar. Three ports on an empty stomach in 90 minutes is a real effect, not a footnote. Eat before you arrive, or call (+351) 22 320 3257 ahead to arrange snacks.
If you want food built in, the Cockburn's Port Lodge Tour lists a cheese pairing option among its choices.
- Eat first or phone the cellar about snacks
- Want food paired? Try Cockburn's cheese pairing
One Cellar Only, and a Group of 20
You visit one lodge in 1.5 hours. If your goal is to compare several houses in one afternoon, this listing cannot do that. The Three Port Houses Walking Tour covers three port houses with 7 tastings in 3.5 to 4 hours, and the Small-Group Port Cellars Tour caps the group at 12.
Here the group runs up to 20, which means the cellar walk can feel less personal at busy times.
- Several houses: the walking tours cover 3 houses each
- Smaller group: the 12-person cap tour, or Graham's at 10
Meeting Point and Mobility
There is no hotel pickup, so you walk or take public transport to Rua Visconde das Devesas 168. Good news on access: the listing states the visit is wheelchair accessible in all areas and surfaces, and prams and strollers are allowed. The listing calls it suitable for all fitness levels.
Infants 0-3, children 4-10 and youths 11-17 are priced separately. If you want a big-name house with an atmospheric room at the end, the Graham's Vintage Room Tasting limits its group to 10 instead.
- No hotel pickup: make your own way
- Wheelchairs and strollers: fine, all areas
- Under 18: priced by age band
Getting There and Adding a Second Cellar
Poças is at Rua Visconde das Devesas 168 in Vila Nova de Gaia. Here is how to reach it from Porto, and which lodges you can add afterwards on your own ticket.
Reaching the Meeting Point from Ribeira
Three routes work. On foot, cross the Ponte Luís I on the lower deck, which carries public transport and pedestrians. The upper deck carries Metro Line D and pedestrians, so taking line D to Jardim do Morro puts you at the Gaia end of the bridge. The Metro do Porto fare table lists a Z2 single ticket at €1.40 and a €0.60 Andante card. Check which zone your trip falls in before buying.
The third option is the Gaia cable car, which runs between the riverside Cais de Gaia station and Jardim do Morro in 3 minutes 45 seconds. An adult one-way ticket costs €7 and a child 5-12 pays €3.50, and the operator publishes its own hours by season. The port wine cellars map shows how the lodges sit against each other before you set out.
- On foot: lower deck of the Ponte Luís I, then walk into Gaia
- Metro line D to Jardim do Morro, fares in the Metro do Porto table (Z2 single €1.40)
- Gaia cable car one way €7 adult, 3 min 45 s ride
A Second Cellar the Same Afternoon
Poças does not book a full day, so a second lodge fits easily. Three sell their own visits. Ramos Pinto runs a guided visit of its museum and cellars with a Classic Tasting of 3 ports for €20, on Av. Ramos Pinto, with fixed-language slots and a maximum of 30 per visit. Ferreira, on Av. Ramos Pinto 70, sells the Porto Ferreira Visit at €23 for 50 minutes with White, Ruby and Tawny. Sandeman's Porto Sandeman Visit costs €23 for 50 minutes with 3 ports, booked through the Sogrape site.
If you would rather leave the logistics to a guide, the Real Companhia Velha Cellar Tour is the listed alternative to this one, and the comparison of all Porto wine cellars on the homepage sorts the single-cellar visits from the multi-house walks.
- Ramos Pinto: guided visit with Classic Tasting, €20
- Ferreira: 50-minute visit with 3 ports, €23
- Sandeman: 50-minute visit with 3 ports, €23
Step-by-Step Itinerary
The listing describes one continuous 90-minute experience in two phases. No start or end clock times are stated, so the phases are marked from the start of the booking you choose.
-
Start
Meet at Poças
Arrive at Rua Visconde das Devesas 168, 4400-337 Vila Nova de Gaia. There is no hotel pickup and no named return point. The tour is on foot inside the cellar from here on.
-
Visit
Guided visit of the ageing cellar
A guided walk through the ageing cellar, where the wines have been aging for more than 100 years. The guide explains what makes Port Wine special and introduces the Douro Valley, where it is made.
-
Next
Into the Tasting Room
You walk from the cellar into the Tasting Room, where a harmonized tasting of three different Port Wines is set: a White, a Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and a Reserve Tawny.
-
Tasting
Tasting and pairing talk
The guide covers what pairs well with Port Wine and points out styles you might not have tasted before. Snacks are not served unless you phoned the cellar beforehand to buy the sausage and cheese selections.
-
End
Tour ends at the cellar
The experience finishes at Poças. No return time or return point is stated, so plan your onward walk or cable car ride from Rua Visconde das Devesas.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, with the cons stated plainly and the fix attached to each.
What we genuinely like
- At $26.31 for a 90-minute guided visit with 3 ports, it undercuts most comparable single-lodge bookings in Gaia
- A live guide in your chosen language, one language per departure, rather than an audio guide on a phone
- Fully wheelchair accessible in all areas and surfaces, and prams and strollers are allowed
- A fourth-generation family house, one of the few port companies born Portuguese still in the same family
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund
The honest downsides
- No food at all is included, and three ports in 90 minutes on an empty stomach is noticeable. Eat first or phone (+351) 22 320 3257 to arrange the snacks
- Groups run up to 20, so the visit can feel less personal than the tours capped at 10 or 12
- The port wine cellars map shows where Rua Visconde das Devesas 168 sits before you commit
- No departure times are stated in the listing, so you must rely on the booking calendar to plan the rest of your day
- Sausage and cheese selections are excluded and bought separately by phoning the cellar
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want several port houses, food built into the tasting or a group smaller than 20 should book a multi-house walk instead.
Poças Port Cellar Tour: Questions
How much does the Poças port cellar tour cost?
The ticket costs $26.31 per person on Viator, product code 141590P1. Infants, children, youths and adults are priced separately, so check the age band when booking. You can compare it with the other Porto wine cellar tours on the homepage.
What is included in the Poças cellar visit?
The guided visit through the ageing cellar and a tasting of 3 ports: White, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and Reserve Tawny. Sausage and cheese selections are excluded and bought separately by phoning the cellar. For a visit with pairing options built in, see the Burmester Cellar Tour.
How long does the Poças tour last and how big are the groups?
It lasts 1.5 hours in total and groups run up to 20 guests with a live guide. If you want a smaller room, the Graham's Vintage Room Tasting limits its group to 10 participants.
Where do I meet the tour and how do I get there?
The meeting point is Poças, Rua Visconde das Devesas 168, 4400-337 Vila Nova de Gaia, with no hotel pickup. Cross the Ponte Luís I on the lower deck on foot, take Metro line D to Jardim do Morro, or ride the Gaia cable car one way for €7. The port wine cellars map shows where Poças sits against the riverside lodges.
Can children and wheelchair users join the Poças tour?
Yes on both counts. Infants 0-3, children 4-10 and youths 11-17 are priced separately. The listing states all areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible and prams and strollers are allowed.
Can I cancel the Poças booking?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time for a full refund, per the listing on Viator. The listing gives no bad-weather cancellation.
Is the Poças tour the right pick if I want to see several port houses?
No, it covers one cellar in 1.5 hours. To compare three houses in one outing, the Three Port Houses Walking Tour covers 3 port houses with 7 tastings in 3.5 to 4 hours, and the full list of Porto wine cellar tours sorts the options by format.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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